by MillietheWarrior » 08/02/2009 4:41 PM
Jaing chuckled. "All right then, cyar'ika," he conceded, glancing up as they passed under another streetlight. "But I will never understand a woman's need to wear shoes that could potentially break their ankles. Seems impractical to me." He winked over at her, and hooked his free hand onto his belt. He could still hear her pills rattling around in the pouch he'd placed them in. When she wasn't looking, Jaing would throw them away somewhere she couldn't find them again. He wasn't going to risk her taking anymore of them. Glancing down at her, Jaing tilted his head with an impish smile, amused at her words. "I'm a Mando, Am'ika. Once I make my decision, there's not much that'll change my mind. And we're known for being pretty stubborn...But we always make the right choices."
He smiled gently, before his gaze traveled back to the sidewalk. He counted the cracks as they stepped over them, and turned when she did, following her small, slowly steadying strides with his larger, evenly paced ones. Jaing kept one eye on her, and one on where they were going. While he listened to her talk, he was silently mapping out the location in his head. He noted side streets, alleyways, dead ends, streetlamps, benches, people, and each different house they passed. Jaing never knew when he'd have to make a quick getaway...And it was just habit to memorize and know his surroundings. "Well...that's true." He paused thoughtfully, his face looking contemplative. "I'm sure you'd be just as good with kids as I think you are with plants."
He fell silent as they walked up a smaller street; they must've been getting close. "I've had worse students, trust me. Some of them couldn't even do five push-ups when they started," he said, a twinkle in his eyes. "And you can't be all that bad when it comes to athletics, Am'ika. I'm sure after a few bracing ten mile runs, you'll feel differently about it." But the amusement dancing in his eyes told her he was only kidding; sort of. Maybe a one mile run, working their way up to ten. It was important that Amala learn self-defense as well as physical endurance; you never knew when you'd have to fight and enemy, and then high tail it out of there. "Yeah," he continued. "I guess I'll need to repaint my armor soon, too, huh?"
He fell silent, before speaking only a moment later. "And you can do one piece at a time. Armor takes a lot of getting used to, so we won't start you off with a full set all at once...Eventually though, you'll be able to move effortlessly in it. But it's heavy..." Jaing laughed suddenly, and seemed to find something very funny. "My buir always joked that the reason he was so short, was because his armor was so heavy. Funny, isn't it?" Maybe not to Amala, but it sure was to Jaing. He didn't realize that even small things like that could bother a person.
Jaing lived in a simple way; he worked for the army, did his duty, never received pay or pension, loved his family, and planned to live on his home planet one day with a wife that loved him. For him, everything was simple, without a lot of complications. He didn't realize that some of this stuff that was so normal for him, might bother Amala; things like up and leaving, or forgetting about people you knew and trinkets and places you loved. They'd probably have to cross that bridge when they got there, and Jaing might never realize she was bothered unless she told him.
He sighed slowly as they turned left, and stopped in front of a small, plain looking house. Despite how small it seemed, it had a distinct feeling of home. It looked like it was well cared for and loved. Jaing fancied he could see Amala planting those flowers in the window herself. Jaing reached for her bag and handed it back to her, smiling slightly. "It's very nice, Am'ika..." he said at last, before a frown crossed his features. He noted the sad smile, and the way her eyes seemed to lose a faint bit of that spark he'd seen there earlier. When she laughed, her eyes had been alight and so alive. But now, the sadness he saw there... "Cyar'ika...If you don't want to leave your home...I won't force you," he said at last.
"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to. If you want to stay here, and live in this house, then I can...Try and remain stationed here for as long as I can. And when I leave the army, I can come back..." He fell silent, a troubled look on his face as he tried to find the words to express what he was trying to say. "But you love this house. I don't want you to leave something you love, cyar'ika..."
[19]
((Rambles on a bit...XD Cars was on, and it was so distracting. Heh..So Jaing ended up ramlings a bit.))
I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!
A great adventure! +Imp. Documents+ +Menagerie+ +Wishlist+ +Journal+